Disoriented
by KillerMinnie
Summary: Annabelle has been tortured for over a year after her family was taken away from her. She now thinks her only purpose is to make sure her family is safe and that no body belongs to their own. Rattlesnake Jake has been having strange dreams about little Annabelle. And doesn't know why. There is a puzzle to put together. And a game to play with someone who has been broken.
1. Chapter 1

…**let's see if I can do this**

**I own nothing but little Annabelle.**

_The air was thin and crisp in the vast wilderness surrounding her. Annabelle, eyes blank and full of anguish, watched as a deer grazed over the sweet grass. She sighed. Just imagining the feel of the soft green strands beneath her bare feet once more brought back memories she thought had left her. She still didn't understand why she wanted something so silly and pointless so badly. Maybe these types of things were the only real links to her family. Annabelle clenched her fists at her sides in anger. They were taken away from her. Looking at the deer from where she stood beneath the trees, thinking about how it had a mother to look after it until it could live on its own, infuriated her._

"_It's all his fault..." she thought out loud. The deer's ears perked up in alarm._

_Annabelle smiled at its sudden alarm. If only she was like the deer when it all happened….Sadly, there is no way for her to go back and fix what was done. Instead of dwelling on the past, Annabelle decides to have some fun with the now alarmed animal only ten feet away from her. She walked until she was directly in front of the deer. It sniffed the air suspiciously. Before it could react to her energy, Annabelle swiftly entered its body…._

Jakes fire blazed eyes shot open as he awoke from yet again another confusing dream. He scanned the vast desert surrounding him before he began to stretch out his strong coils. The sun hasn't even begun to rise over the valley, and Jake was still too tired to travel all the way to Dirt. The town was still five miles off from where Jake was currently located. Jake hissed softly in irritation. He's been having dreams about the same girl for almost two weeks. They left him confused and, most of all,_ tired._ Jake never got enough sleep anymore. He looked around once more and flicked his bluish tongue out to taste the air. If he couldn't sleep, he might as well eat something. He was starved.

Jake tasted something nearby….He smiled. He silently slithered through the cool desert sand, still flicking out his tongue occasionally so he could find his prey. Luckily it wasn't too far from where he was, only about fifteen feet away. But what he spotted made him stop abruptly in shock. What he had smelled in the air was actually his "brother", Rango. He was mounted on a roadrunner, looking around him like he was searching for something. Jake sighed before he moved closer so he was looming over the chameleon. Rango looked up and almost yelled out when he spotted Jakes eyes in the still darkened sky.

Jake sneered down at him. "Hello, _brother."_

"H-hello there, Jake." Rango stuttered out while trying not to shake as he stared into Jakes eyes.

"What are you doin' out here?" Jake asked suspiciously.

"I was out here looking for you, brother."

Jake hissed and rattled his tail gun viciously. Rangos roadrunner jumped in fear, throwing Rango off and scurrying away. Rango quickly got up and dusted his pants off absentmindedly.

"I'm not yer brother." Jake hissed at Dirt's sheriff.

"I…I know. I just got a little carried away, you know?"

Jake raised a brow. "Carried away?"

"Yeah…I guess." Rango said while he continued to dust off his pants even though they were perfectly clean.

Jake would have rolled his eyes if he could. "Why were you lookin' for me?"

"You told me you would be at Dirt in two days when you got the message about the water pipe issue. It's been four days now, Jake." Rango said. He showed four of his fingers when he spoke the last sentence for visual effect.

"I've had a few distractions along the way," Jake grumbled. "I would've arrived at your pathetic little town anyways."

"I know. It's just…this is urgent Jake. Without new pipes, we won't get water to the town."

"Do you think I'm stupid, _brother_? I know what pipes do. I can't help these distractions." Jake growled.

"What are they?"

"That's none of yer business, sheriff."

Rango swallowed nervously before speaking again. "S-so, are you going to come with me?"

"Yes, I'll come with you to yer pathetic little town." Jake replied dryly.

They set off once they found Rangos roadrunner, and before the sun rose. Jake forced himself to keep going even though his eyes ached to close so he could sleep once more. Rango kept in pace with Jake as he slithered to Dirt. Silence hung between them the whole way to the town. All Jake wanted to do was rest without the dreams of the girl….

**Sorry it's so short. I just want to know if it's good or not first. And then I'll begin writing longer chapters. Please comment! And be truthful with me…don't butter it up! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Thanks for the comment maricielo717!**

**I own nothing but crazed Anna.**

_Annabelle could feel the deer's life fading. Its warmth turned to a cold chill that made her smile triumphantly. She exited the poor animal's body and watched it crumble to the leaf covered ground. Once again she couldn't feel the cool breeze that occasionally blew through the trees or the ground below her. She felt numb once more. But when she was in her victim's body, she felt alive. Annabelle had felt its heart beating as if it was her own. She felt the grass and leaves beneath her as the deer stumbled and faltered. To little Annabelle it ended all too soon. But the deer was able to find peace in death after being suffocated by Annabelle from inside its own body._

_Annabelle looked at the deer one last time before she began to roam through the trees. Her destination was always the same after she had her fun with the living things living in the forest. She stood there, motionless, as she looked up at her old home just outside the woods where she walked but never left. The two stories home had started to decay. Its roof had holes, weeds and dead grass covered the surrounding area, and the windows were smashed. Not from age or homeless men hoping for a place to stay, but from bullet holes that didn't seem to cease when they came. Annabelle remembered that day like it just happened. But of course she did…._

_She had watched her mother get dragged down the stairs by her hair by a man with a black beard and messy hair. Her father was locked in a room while her mother screamed for help. Her siblings, all four of them, were tied up and had tape covering their mouths. Her uncle was there, with the attackers. He was one of them….He made Annabelle watch as her mother and father were tortured, while one of her sisters were punched and slapped until they screamed for them to stop. Screamed for Annabelle to help her even though she knew she couldn't. Her uncle had thrown her to the floor, pulled out his gun, and shot her in the leg._

_Annabelle had screamed from the burning sensation that traveled from her leg and up her body. But all her uncle did was laugh, along with his companions as she whimpered and tried not to cry. Then little Anna was shot in the shoulder near her heart. The pain was absolutely excruciating. Her uncle knelt down next to her and pressed the gun to her temple._

"_Close your eyes, Anna!" her father had screamed._

_She did. Another shot was fired. And everything left Annabelle. Every sound in the home left her for only a second….Before she was there again._

Jake grunted as he helped move one of Dirt's new pipes over to the hole they were using to build a better water system for their town. He barely slept because of those infuriating dreams of that girl he always seemed to have. The dream he had that night seemed to be bothering him more than any of the other dreams. Usually his dreams only showed the girl roaming around in some sort of wooded area. But the dream he had last night didn't just show her walking or talking in whispers. She _killed_ something. A deer, he recalled. And he saw her past. If it was really her past, anyways. The poor girl had to watch her family get tortured in ways that would have scarred anyone for life. But the worst part of the dream was her death….

"Hey, brother." Rango said from beside the rattlesnake outlaw.

Jake hissed quietly and stopped pushing the heavy pipe to look at the sheriff. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop callin' me yer brother?"

"I'll stop sooner or later." Rango said nonchalantly with a little shrug.

"It better be sooner than later, _brother."_

"Okay, okay. I just wanted to know if you were alright." Rango said, putting his hands up in surrender when he first spoke.

The rattlesnake looked down at the little lizard with an irritated expression on his face. "Why wouldn't I be alright?"

"You just look, I don't know, deep in thought." Rango said with a hint of curiosity in his voice as he spoke.

"I just got a lot to think about."

"Can't you tell me what it is, Jake?"

"What I'm thinkin' is none of yer business." Jake hissed angrily. Rango shrunk back slightly, but stood his ground defiantly.

"Is it about those "distractions"?"

Jake sighed and shook his head. "Look, Rango, I'm fine. I just haven't been sleepin' right lately."

"That would explain why you're so grumpy." Rango grumbled.

Jake was about to reply, but stopped when he heard small footsteps running towards them. When he turned his head to look, he saw the woman Beans he almost killed for the old mayor. Beans looked up at him with hatred in her eyes as she walked over to the sheriff.

"Hello, sweetie. What's wro-"

"Rango, you forgot your gun again." Beans interrupted as she handed him the gun she was carrying in her hand.

Rango touched his gun holster and laughed, clearly embarrassed. "Thanks, Beans."

"I still don't know why you wanted _him_ to come here and help." Beans nodded her head towards Jake with her hands on her hips.

"I'm still here, ya know." Jake said to the female lizard angrily. Beans looked up at him with same amount of anger.

"Well, you shouldn't have come in the first place. We have enough people here to get the job done."

"Beans-"

"I didn't want to come here. But, my _brother_ here said it was urgent. Plus I need the pay he promised."

Beans gave Rango a dirty look before stomping off. Rango ran after her, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Jake growled in annoyance. The sooner he left this town, the better.

Annabelle looked up at the bird perched on a tree and smiled. It was a robin. Her mother's favorite bird. If only she could touch its soft feathers like she used too whenever her mother caught one in her hands. They used to go to the forest and look for a robin, catch it, and then her mother would let her stroke its feathers. Of course that was before everything turned into a living Hell. Her smile disappeared. She climbed up the tree without any worry about falling until she was right at the branch the bird was perched on. That's when she entered its little body. That's when its torment began….


	3. Chapter 3

**What is up everyone? **

**So this is for guest #1 who asked if Annabelle was dead or if she was just in a coma. Annabelle is dead, but is stuck here on Earth. She refuses to go to Heaven until she is able to find her family under any circumstances. But, she also wants to torment others who have loving families. So…yeah she's dead.**

**I own nothing but dead little Annabelle…**

Jake knew she was here. His dream last night told him just so. She was in Dirt somewhere, tormenting another poor soul until it found its own peace in death. He didn't know where she was now, or if she was even in Dirt. But he just had to find her. He avoided the citizens, especially Rango, who kept worrying over him without any explanation. Jake slithered through the town, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Whenever he found something he would slither over to get a closer look. However, he came out empty handed every time. Until he went back to the mayor's old office….

There was a young female rabbit standing by the huge window where the mayor's desk had once been. She was twitching and gasping for air. Jake cautiously moved closer to the young woman, but stopped when she turned around. Her eyes were black, soulless, and tears streamed down from them like small rivers.

"Annabelle?" Jake asked the rabbit softly. He knew she was in this poor creature, somewhere….

"_What do you want?"_ a little voice rasped from the throat of the struggling woman.

"I want to know if you're Annabelle."

"_I am."_

Jake moved a little closer, but stopped when she took a step back. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Ya need to let 'er go. She's goin' to die if you continue."

"_I don't care. She deserves to die just like all the others." _Annabelle said venomously.

"Why does she deserve to die, Anna?"

"_Don't call me that!"_ she screamed. Jake slowly began to wrap himself around her with caution.

Annabelle flinched slight, but stood her ground as the rabbit continued to gasp and sputter for air. "I'm sorry. I won't do it ever again, okay?"

Annabelle slowly nodded before responding. _"I…I'll let her go."_

Jake watched as the woman's eyes turned from black to their normal color of blue, and as she collapsed to the floor in a gasping heap. He wasn't concerned for her, really. He just wanted to see Annabelle. And he did. Standing over to woman with a dark look on her face, was a minimized human girl who could only be Annabelle. She looked nothing like she did in Jakes dreams. In his dreams, she had silver hair and bright blue eyes that shined in the dark. But, here she had chestnut brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and dried blood on the side of her head and her right knee and shoulder.

She looked up at Jake after expecting the crumpled woman at her feet, and gave a small smile. Jake couldn't help but smile slightly back. He finally found her. He just couldn't believe she was here in front of him. Annabelle looked around, seemingly dazed. She looked down at his strong coils, which were still wrapped around her and the unconscious rabbit. Jake watched in amusement as she reached out to play with one of his scales.

"Are you going to punish me for being bad?" she asked with a not so raspy voice, but a sweet one.

"No, why would I?" Jake replied with a smile still on his face. Annabelle looked back up at him in confusion.

"I almost killed her."

"Yes, I know. But I'm not goin' to punish ya for it."

Annabelle still didn't seem to understand. "Who are you, then?"

"I'm called Rattlesnake Jake 'round here. Or the Grim Reaper. But, you can just call me Jake like most do."

"Is that your real name?"

"No, but don't worry about that."

"Where are we?" Annabelle asked while looking around the room with small amounts of confusion.

"This is where I sleep. It used to be the old mayor's office before he died."

"Oh. Why do you sleep here?"

Jake chuckled. He didn't realize she would be so full of questions. "I sleep here because I have nowhere else to sleep."

Annabelle yawned tiredly. That's when Jake realized something. He was able to touch her! Wasn't she supposed to be dead? He looked down at her with a raised brow while she cuddled into his coils like a small child. Before he could say anything to her she was already asleep. He finally found her. She was finally with him….


	4. Chapter 4

**Are you all ready?**

**I own only Annabelle…**

Jake watched Annabelle sleep in his strong coils with great, cradling her with great care. He didn't understand why she was here. But to him the only thing that mattered was that she _was_ here. She was finally away from the place of her murder and in the room with Jake in his coils like a small child. He heard her mutter in her sleep and dipped his head down to nuzzle her with his snout. When he pulled away, there was a small smile on her peaceful pale face. Than a thought came to him: what was he going to tell the others? He knew that if he told them Annabelle was a girl from his dreams, they would think he was crazy. But that was the least of his worries. Jake was confused. How could they touch each other if she was dead…?

Jake was brought out of his thoughts when he felt her move in her sleep. She groaned in discomfort and shifted some more until she was comfortable. Jake smiled. He hasn't cared for someone like this for a long time. At least not with care. Jake put his head down onto her stomach, his hat covering his eyes while he closed them. Her breathing was soft and slow. The way it was supposed to be while someone slept. Just when he was on the brinks of sleep there was a soft rap on the door. Jake groaned and lifted his head, making sure not to wake Annabelle up.

He slowly unwrapped himself from around her and was able to get her into a comfortable position on the floor so she could continue to sleep. He moved over to the double door as quietly as he could to open them. The doors creaked as they opened, making Jake flinch at how loud it was. Once they were opened, he was met by the big, round, yellowish eyes of a little girl. This must be Priscilla. She had her hands behind her back and was staring up at him curiously. From what Jake understood, she was now under the care of Rango and his stupid girlfriend.

"Rango wants to know if yer okay." Priscilla said in her own voice of a small girl. Just like Annabelle's own voice.

Jake sighed with annoyance. "Tell 'im to come here."

Priscilla stood there for a second before she nodded and left. Jake left the doors open for when Rango came instead of taking the chance of waking Annabelle up by their loud creaking. He moved back over to where she laid on the floor, still deep in the blissful peace of sleep. Jake flicked his tongue out next to her to see what she smelled like out of curiosity. She smelled like the woods…and gun powder.

"You wanted to see me, Jake?"

Jake turned around and acknowledged Rango with a smirk. "I see yer not callin' me brother anymore."

"You told me not to."

Jake nodded in agreement. "I need to show ya somethin'."

Rango slowly walked over to where Jake was, and stopped at what he saw. Jake almost laughed at the chameleon's expression when he saw Annabelle. His face went pale and he lost his cool expression for the first time sense Jake got to Dirt. Rango swallowed loudly and pulled at his bandana as if he were hot.

"I-isn't she a human, Jake?" Rango asked shakily while pointing down at Annabelle with a shaky green finger.

"Yes…and a dead one at that. At least I think so…."

"Dead?!"

"Quiet you idiot!" Jake hissed at the stunned lizard. Annabelle shifted on the floor before opening her brown eyes with a few blinks.

She looked up at them with a blank expression on her face. "_Why did he hurt me?"_

"Who is she talking about?" Rango asked Jake, never taking his eyes off of the human girl on the floor.

Jake looked down at Annabelle, stunned. "She's talkin' about her uncle."

"_Is he here? Is he coming back to take me with them?"_

"No, no he's not here, Annabelle. Do you know who I am?" Jake asked her hopefully. He didn't want to lose her, not when he just got to her.

Rango took a step back when Annabelle began to rise. "J-Jake?"

"It's me." Jake said with a smile on his relieved face.

"Who's that?" Annabelle said, looking from Jake to the much shaken chameleon.

"H-hello…Annabelle, is it?"

Annabelle nodded in response.

"I'm Rango. The sheriff of the town you're in." Rango said proudly. Jake shook his head with a smirk on his face.

"Jake, why is he here?" Annabelle asked, turning back to the rattlesnake outlaw. Jake smiled down at her warmly.

"I wanted him to meet you, baby girl."

"You know the rest of the town is going to see her eventually, right?"

"Not right now they're not." Jake said with a shake of his head. He wasn't going to make Annabelle go through the town right now with the sun going down below the mountains.

"Alright, I guess. So…are you going to help tomorrow?"

Jake nodded.

"Great! I guess I'll go now." Rango said, and took his leave.

Annabelle walked over next to Jake and began to play with one of his scales like she did not too long ago. Jake watched her with warmth in his already hell fire lit eyes. Her curiosity was cute to him. Whenever she touched a scale, she got a very serious look on her pale face. It was like she was searching for something hidden beneath them. Jake chuckled at her surprised look when she finally caught sight of his rattle. She reached out her hand and traced a finger around one of the ridges near the top. Annabelle jumped back when Jake rattled his tale, making him laugh.

She looked back up at him and smiled innocently. Jake frowned. How could anyone hurt a sweet girl like her? Her eyes wondered around the room until they rested on the bookshelf still full of different types of books. She walked over to it and searched the many shelves until she found something that interested her. Jake slithered the short distance over to where she stood. In her hands was a book about the different plants in the desert.

Annabelle ran her hand across its spine and over the name written in gold letters. She opened it to the first page and sat down on the floor cross legged. Jake wrapped himself around her once again and placed his head on her shoulders. He watched as her eyes moved over the words and watched as her mouth sometimes moved to whisper certain words. Her long chestnut hair gently brushed against his cheek, soft and welcome.

"Excuse me, Jake?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"What is this word?" Annabelle asked and pointed to the word in question.

Jake studied the word for a moment. "It's 'gradually'."

"Sorry, I forgot. I haven't read a book for a long time."

"Neither have I." Jake admitted. Annabelle looked up from the book and looked at him on her shoulder.

"But you know how to read?"

Jake smiled. "I was able to tell ya what that word was."

Annabelle looked back down at the word without answering, like silence told Jake she knew he was right. Jake continued to watch her as she read probably the first book she's touched for a long time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapters…chapters everywhere!**

**Sorry I haven't updated lately. I've been **_**very**_** busy this week. Now here we go!**

**I own nothing but Annabelle…**

Jake opened his eyes when the rising sun hit them through the large window. Annabelle was curled up in his coils, still sleeping without any signs of disturbance. She had one hand on Jakes snout and the other under her head as a pillow. Jake took a silent, deep breath before he carefully moved his head from off of her stomach. He then placed her on the floor gently so he could stretch his coils in the limited space he had. Annabelle groaned and opened her brown eyes tiredly. She sat up slowly, looking around in slight confusion. When she looked up at Jake, she immediately relaxed.

Jake looked down at her with a small smile on his face. "Good mornin', baby girl."

"Good morning." Annabelle replied with a smile of her own on her pale face.

"How'd you sleep?"

Annabelle frowned and looked down at her hands. "I was back at my home. And my family was there with me. Happy, like we used to be. But then they just blew away into dust and left me there in that house."

"It was just a dream, Annabelle." Jake said, looking down at the girl sadly. He could only think about how hard it must have been for her to see them in a dream when she might never see them again.

"No, it wasn't. I was really there with them." Annabelle shook her head in disbelief as she spoke and her voice shook.

Jake bent his head down and rubbed his snout against her cheek where tears streamed down from her watery eyes. He didn't know what else to say. The girl missed her family so much that she wanted to believe that the encounter with her family was real. Jake listened to her sharp, fast intakes of breath and sighed sadly. Annabelle wept while Jake tried to comfort her with loving rubs on her wet cheek. Jakes eyes were closed, but he could still imagine what she looked like as she cried. She was broken into a million pieces. Puzzle pieces that needed to be put back together again.

Soon her sobbing turned to sniffling, and then just shaky breaths. Jake kissed her moist cheek before pulling away. Annabelle was looking down at the floor with heavy eyes and a look of hatred planted onto her usually peaceful face.

"Annabelle, sweetie, look at me." Jake said with concern laced into his deep western voice.

Annabelle looked up obediently. "Doesn't Rango need your help today?"

"Yeah, he does." Jake said, relieved that she was okay. For now….

"Can I go with you? You know, to help with whatever you guys are doing."

"Baby girl, I don't know 'bout that."

"_Please_, Jake. I would like to explore this town and meet the people here. They're going to see me sometime." Annabelle insisted. Jake looked down at her with a smirk on his face and nodded.

"If you go with me, ya need to stay with me. Okay?"

Annabelle nodded with a smile of triumph on her face. "Can we leave now, Jake?"

"If you want to, baby girl." Jake said with a chuckle.

Annabelle immediately stood up. She dusted herself off and smoothed down her hair. Jake watched her in amusement. Once she was done readying herself, she looked up at Jake with her arms wide open as if for inspection. Jake gave a single nod in approval. Annabelle took a deep breath before walking out of the office and to the front door. Jake followed close behind her, on edge and on guard. When Annabelle opened the front door and stepped outside into the morning sun, Jake tensed up. She stood at the bottom of the steps to wait for Jake patiently. Her eyes roamed around the area, a smile upon her face.

"This town looks so old." Annabelle said with a giggle.

Jake chuckled next to her. "Yeah, it is."

He motioned for her to follow with his head and set off toward the sheriff's office. He was conscious of all the eyes on Annabelle as they moved slowly together toward their destination. Annabelle stopped when a scream erupted through the town.

"Is that a human?" one citizen said as they began to surround Jake and the girl.

"She's a witch!"

"Burn her!"

Annabelle shrunk back and whimpered in fear. Jakes anger flared. He hissed, baring his fangs which had venom dripping from them. The citizens of Dirt hastily moved away from them to hide from the angry rattlesnake. Jake wrapped himself around Annabelle protectively and looked down at her trembling form. Her hands were covering her ears, her eyes were wide, and her breathing was fast and ragged.

"Baby girl?"

"_He's coming back to get me!"_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again people! Let's get stared!**

**You already know I don't own anything but Annabelle…**

They waited in silence with Rango watching them intently with his arms crossed next to the door. He was tapping his fingers nervously as the town grew more restless outside with every passing second. Jake had taken Annabelle to the jail after her brief moment of anxiety in a hurry. He barged in with Annabelle at his side, leaving a stunned chameleon behind them as they made their way toward one of the cells. Jake wanted her as far away from the door and window as he could, which meant putting her in the first cell he saw without closing the door. He still blocked the cell door just in case someone came in after her. The citizens in Dirt were afraid of him, but he didn't know what they would do to Annabelle if he let his guard down.

Rango stopped tapping his fingers and looked down at his dusty boots. Jake watched him as the lizard began to tap his foot. The rattlesnake shook his head and looked behind him at Annabelle worriedly. She was sitting in a corner, her knees up to her chest and her eyes gleaming with tears. She had cried when they first set foot in the sheriff's office. All Jake wanted to do was cradle her in his coils, but stopped himself despite the pain he felt deep in his belly at seeing her cry so helplessly. But he had to protect her. That was his first and only priority in that instant. And Rango's infuriating tapping of both his fingers and feet were driving him mad. Jake understood why he was so nervous. He was nervous about all of it too. Jake just knew how to control it better than most.

Annabelle whimpered and shivered in the corner she sat in. She remembered sitting in her homes attic, in a corner by a small window, just like this. Only than it was because of her parents constant fighting and all the fear of her uncle coming for them drove her to the dark, cold, musty attic with barely any light. Martha, the oldest of all four children, would go to the attic with Annabelle on some occasions with a cookie or two just for the two of them to share. Annabelle learned how to block out the fear and the screaming from Martha through their times in that attic. She missed her most of all. Annabelle wondered if Martha missed her, too, if she was still alive. But, why would she? She needed Annabelle's help when her uncle came, and didn't receive it. Annabelle shook violently, her bones shaking with her.

Jake watched her sadly. Yet, even when the sadness lingered, anger flared in his eyes as he watched her shake and whimper in the corner of the cell. Anger at the town, at her uncle and his companions, and at himself. If only he had said no to her about going along with him to help with the pipes. None of this would have happened if he had just said no. But she wanted to come so _badly_. Plus, Jake knew Rango was right when he said the town would see her sooner or later. Jake sighed and looked away from the girl before he was urged inside to her by her broken whimpers. Rango had finally stopped tapping his foot, letting the air around them grow a little lighter. He looked back up at Jake expectantly. He wanted an explanation, Jake knew this. He just didn't know what to say.

"Mind explaining what happened out there, Jake?" Rango asked, tapping his fingers again out of habit.

"She wanted to come with me, that's all. Everythin' was fine until someone freaked out, and then everyone jumped in. That's why we're here, sheriff." Jake said with a shake of his head.

"Well, I don't blame anyone for freaking out. She's a _human_, Jake. And humans aren't supposed to be here or the way she is. That's why I asked Wounded Bird to come and have a look at her."

Jake remembered the crow very vaguely. "What's he goin' to do?"

"I just asked him to take a look at Annabelle to help us figure out what she is." Rango explained with his head turned toward the barred window.

"What do ya mean by _what_ she is? She's just a girl!" Jake yelled angrily with a rattle of his tail. Rango visibly flinched and looked back at Jake with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"A girl you say is dead and is as small as us isn't just a girl, Jake."

Jake tried to ignore the sheriffs reasoning as he looked back at Annabelle. "I'll kill him if he hurts 'er."

"Please, Jake, listen to what I'm trying to say."

"I've been listening,_ brother_. I can hear yer voice loud and clear."

"Jake, I'm serious."

"So am I."

They both stopped their bickering when a sudden knock vibrated the walls of the jail. Rango slowly opened the door with caution, not knowing if someone was going to try to shoot them all down. But, to his relief, it was only Wounded Bird. The crow looked at him with his usual calm expression as he was let in. Jake squinted at him suspiciously as he inched closer to the cell Annabelle sat in. The rattlesnake reluctantly let him pass into the cell, heart twisting and stomach turning at the thought of Annabelle getting hurt by this crow.

Annabelle looked up at Wounded Bird in fear as he slowly moved toward her. She began to shake once again, but couldn't move. It was like her body was frozen to the wooden floor beneath her. Wounded Bird looked down at her with his calm, strangely friendly expression. She looked up at him in wonder as her fear slowly left her and curiosity took over. He only had one leg, a stick to help him walk, and braids. She didn't know what he was wearing, but she liked the colors. Wounded Bird motioned for her to stand, and she did. He took hold of her arm gently was she was standing and lifted it up. Annabelle tilted her head to the side in confusion as he inspected her arm closely. He put it down, and then lifted the other. The crow nodded silently before putting that one down as well. He then looked over her entire body a few inches away.

"Turn around." he ordered. Annabelle did as she was told without complaint or question.

He lifted up her shirt, making her tense up immediately. But that didn't stop him. He touched her back with his soft, free wing. Than he stopped at the top of her back, not far from her shoulders, and traced a line with a feather from one side to the other. Wounded Bird began to chant while he continued to trace the line. Right, left, right, left. Chant, stop, chant, stop. Annabelle winced at every word that left his beak. Pain flared up her pale back and up the rest of her body. A growl, deep and menacing, vibrated in her throat in chest. She gritted her teeth at the searing pain racking through her small body. Her hands balled into fists, she shook with sudden anger at his words, and lashed out.

Wounded Bird was shoved back by once innocent small hands into the cell bars behind him. Annabelle loomed over him as he opened his eyes. A smile crept over her face as she stared down at the crow.

"Annabelle!" Jake shouted from behind her. What was she doing?  
She turned around to look at him. _"I'm the beginning, the middle, the end. It's time for his __**end**__."_

"No, Annabelle. It's not."

She laughed. _"Everyone has an end at some point in time. His is just coming a little early."_

Annabelle reached down for the crow; grabbing him by the neck and throwing him back down onto the floor in front of Jake. Before she could enter his body to end his life, Jake hissed and moved as quick as lightning. Annabelle was incased in his coils in a strangling hold before she could even move toward Wounded Bird. She growled up at Jake, and he growled back.

"Yer not goin' to do this, not while I'm here." Jake hissed at her.

"_That can be rearranged."_ Annabelle said with a deranged smile on her pale face, eyes gleaming.

"Annabelle, come back. Please!"

"_I'm not Annabelle. My names Martha."_


	7. Chapter 7

**-You learn from the mistakes others make around you…**

**I own nothing but Annabelle…and now Martha.**

Martha left and Annabelle was left behind once again. She looked up at Jake, confused and had tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Jake sighed in relief, but didn't let Annabelle out of his strong hold in his coils. Wounded Bird had managed to stand while Martha introduced herself. He still had his calm expression and didn't seem to care about what happened. Rango was pacing outside the cells door, his arms folding and his fingers tapping against his arms once again. You could feel the tension and anxiety lingering around the four of them as they stood in utter silence. The only sound in the small space was Rango's infuriating tapping. It was starting to give Jake a headache.

Wounded Bird was the first to break the silence. "No more connection with Martha."

"What are you talkin' about?" Jake growled, looking at the crow dangerously.

"I washed away her connection to her sister. Sister's alive, unlike girl. But, the girl wanted to find Martha. So she attached herself to her sister to try and find her. Now there is no connection with her." Wounded Bird explained to the irritated rattlesnake.

Jake still didn't quite understand. "Did ya do as he said, Annabelle?"

Annabelle nodded, not wanting to speak or look up at Jake.

"So, let me get this straight. Annabelle somehow made some sort of magical string that attached her to this Martha girl?" Rango asked, stopping his pacing and his tapping.

Wounded Bird nodded.

"But, how could she do that?"

"She wants to find make her own heaven, but with her family." Wounded Bird stated, looking over at Annabelle in Jakes strong coils.

The rattlesnake outlaw looked back down at the girl sympathetically. "I know how ya fell, baby girl. Please, look at me. I want to see yer eyes."

"How could you possibly know how I feel?" Annabelle demanded while looking back up at Jake.

"Because I lost my family, too."

"Y-you did?"

Jake sighed, swallowing down the pain he felt deep inside himself. "Yes, and I'll never be able to see them again. But I don't want it to be that way fer you."

"He broke my connection with Martha. That was the only way I was going to find them, Jake." Annabelle said with her eyes filled with tears and her soul breaking a little more with every word.

"We'll find a way, baby girl. I promise."

"What do you mean by 'we'?" Annabelle asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"I'm to help ya find them."

Annabelle smiled the biggest smile Jake has ever seen from her ever sense she got here. "When do we get to go?"

Jake chuckled at her excitement. "First, I want ya to think about where yer uncle would take them. When you think of somethin', tell me."

"What about us, Jake?" Rango asked with his arms crossed and his foot tapping against the hard wood floor beneath it.

"You need to stay here and help yer town, Rango."

"Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"You just…I mean you don't really know how to take care of a human."

"And you do?" Jake said with a smirk.

Rango shrugged. "I've lived with them before."

Jake looked at the chameleon and shook his head. "This town needs you, sheriff. We'll be fine, I promise."

Rango nodded, still uncertain.

"But fer now, I need to get Annabelle here back to the office so she can rest a bit." Jake said, smiling down at Annabelle.

They left right away to go back to the mayor's old office, Annabelle walking closing next to Jake tensely. Once they were back in the office, Annabelle immediately went toward the large bookshelves she was reading the day before. Jake followed her with a small smile. He loved how she was so eager to read even after all that time in the forest around her. And he especially loved her sweet nature. Jake hoped that would never change….

"Jake?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"Can you tell me about what happened to your family?"

Jake tensed but nodded slowly. Annabelle was sitting on the floor, cross legged, and looking over at Jake with soft, caring brown eyes that shined whenever the sun hit them.

"I left our hole one evening to go get somethin' fer my mother. I was gone for about an hour, talkin' to my friends along the way and stoppin' to chat with a few girls around the area."

"Why'd you stop to talk to girls?" Annabelle asked innocently.

"I did because I was a young, stupid boy. Anyways, when I got back to our hole I knew somethin' wasn't right. I went inside cautiously. But, what I found inside made me stop…." Jake stopped talking and looked down at the ground, anger building up inside of him the more he spoke.

"You don't have to tell me anymore, Jake."

"What're ya readin', baby girl?" Jake asked, looking back down at Annabelle after a minute or two of silence.

Annabelle smiled at the question. "I'm reading about what they call the 'walking cacti. In here it says they move to find water instead of staying in one place like other cacti do. It's really weird."

"You know, I saw one move once." Jake said, moving over to her so he could wrap himself around her.

"Really?" Annabelle asked him in astonishment.

"When I was a really young boy, around three or four if I recall, I went out to explore. We lived somewhere very seclude and not very many folks lived there. There was a lot of them walkin' cacti, though. They surrounded the area around us, and they seemed to be closin' us off from the world beyond them. I was very curious about them at such a young age. So, one day I went outside and watched one for I don't know how long. All I know is my eyes burned afterwards. But, as I was watching this one particular cactus, I swear it moved an inch right before my eyes. I told my mom and pa when I went back inside and was called loony by my older brother fer weeks." Jake smiled at the memory.

Annabelle listened to him with a wide eyes and fascination spread all across her face. Jake, wanting to have some fun with her, grabbed the book in her small hands with his mouth and moved swiftly away from her. Annabelle looked down at her empty hands for a split second before getting up on her feet and running toward Jake.

"I would like that book back, please." Annabelle said with a smile and her hands on her hips.

Jake shook his head. "You have to get it yerself."

Annabelle laughed and tried to jump to reach the book. All attempts at jumping failed, making Annabelle sigh and Jake laugh around the book clasped between his teeth. Annabelle began to climb up his back until he reached his head. She pushed the tip of his hat down so it covered his eyes, bending down with her other hand for the book. Once she was able to get the book, she let the tip of Jakes hat go. Jake growled playfully and flung her off of him. Annabelle laughed when she hit the floor, the book falling out of her hand. Jake gave a mischievous smile before bending his head down and licking her cheek.

"Ugh! That's gross!" Annabelle giggled, wiping her cheek with her hand.

Jake nudged her head with his and smiled. "That's what ya get for coverin' my eyes with my hat."

Annabelle squealed when Jake licked her cheek once again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Are you _really_ sorry, Annabelle?" Jake mocked her as she wiped her cheek again.

"No. I'll never be sorry!" Annabelle said, standing up and giving a fake evil laugh.

Jake hissed with a smile, rattling his tail. "Then someone has to teach ya a lesson."

Annabelle screamed when he lunged toward her. She ran out of the way to the window and laughed when he hit his head on the wall. Jake shook his head and laughed with her. Annabelle ran to him shoved his head to the side lightly. The rattlesnake outlaw chuckled when she climbed onto his back and to his head. She rested her head on top of his hat, sighing heavily.

"What's on yer mind, baby girl?"

"I haven't played with someone like this for a long time. It feels good."

"Yeah, it does. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I think I do better than Rango does when tryin' to catch someone on the run."

**Alright, so I'm trying to think of a theme song for Annabelle. But I can't seem to find the right one. I also want one for Jake and Annabelle together, which is even harder…for me anyways. There are just so many good songs out there! So I was wondering if you guys could help find one. If you come up with some, leave them in the reviews along with what you think of this chapter.**


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